Warmth And Comfort
by Delas
Summary: [Wolf's Rain] Toboe experiences a suprising reaction from a sleeping Tsume. One-shot.


**Warmth and Comfort,**

By Delas

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Tsume twitched in his sleep, letting out an almost inaudible whimper. Toboe lifted his head from the ground and stared at him, his brown eyes flashing in the darkness.

"Tsume?" he called quietly, but the older wolf didn't move or respond. Slowly Toboe rose to his feet and trotted over to him, feeling the chill of the cold stone beneath his feet and taking extra care to be silent. Muzzle low to the ground, he stared anxiously at Tsume. He glanced at the scar on his chest and wondered dimly where he had gotten it from. Faintly, the coppery smell of blood reached his nose. He cocked his head to the side, a protective urge welling up inside himself and he edged even closer to Tsume, sniffing. Tsume's scent was strong. He smelled... of the city. He smelled of hotdogs and hamburgers, of liquor and dirty water, of oil and grease, and that faint trace of blood. Also... very faintly... of the lunar flowers. It clung to him, and Toboe realized with a start that they all smelled that way, he just never noticed it before. It smelled sweet, tickling his nostrils as he inhaled. It made him feel all fuzzy inside. These smells mixed together, forming what Toboe came to identify as Tsume. It wasn't an unpleasant smell; it was comforting in a way. He'd smelled better things, to be sure, but there was something uniquely warm about it. He had noticed it the first time he had crossed paths with the silent wolf. He felt drawn to it, as if an irresistible urge compelled him to follow. It felt...familiar, in a world of unfamiliar things.

He gently nuzzled Tsume, touching him lightly in the shoulder, feeling the soft fur tickle against his nose. Tsume shifted slightly in his sleep, but didn't make any dangerous moves. Toboe knew that Tsume did not like being touched, let alone being nuzzled against. Slightly encouraged by the less- than-savage response, he moved down Tsume front leg until he encountered the source of the blood smell, the bullet wound he had received earlier. Toboe sniffed it and growled, the unpleasant smell of metal rising to meet his sensitive nose. He glanced at Tsume, watching the wolf's chest rise and fall as he slept fitfully. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, he raised a paw and as gently as he could worked the bullet out of the wound with his claw. He whined in sympathy as fresh blood welled out of the wound. Toboe glanced at Tsume again, expecting him to have his eyes open and glaring in Toboe's general direction. Surprisingly, Tsume continued to sleep.

_He must be exhausted..._ Toboe thought.

He stared at the wound uncertainly, unwilling to walk away as it bled. Very gently he began to lick it, rolling his warm tongue over it over and over. His eyes half closed as he felt another strange feeling rising inside of himself. He felt so strange around Tsume... he couldn't describe it. He felt warm... and very comfortable, despite Tsume's cold attitude and his harsh behavior. He felt comforted by his very presence, almost as if... they were family. He'd felt this way around the old woman who had kept him, but with Tsume it was different. He felt... complete, as if he had been missing something before. Tsume shifted slightly in his sleep, a low growl emanating from his throat. Backing away quickly and fearful he had awoken him, Toboe resumed his position by the cave wall, laying down and closing his eyes. He waited several moments before opening his eyes again. He glanced once more at Tsume and saw him sleeping quietly. Sighing, he turned to face the wall, closed his eyes, and promptly fell into a peaceful sleep.

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Dully, Toboe opened his eyes halfway and found himself staring at the smooth stone wall. He gazed at it silently for a moment before a subtle puzzlement worked its way into his thoughts. What... woke me up? He jumped when he heard a noise at his back, something between a growl and a whimper. Still slightly dazed by sleep and naturally afraid of the unknown, Toboe froze, his whole body going rigid. Then, gaining a sudden unexplainable boost of courage, he slowly turned his head to the side, gazing at the source of the noise. At some point during the night Tsume must have rolled over, for all Toboe could see was Tsume's furry back. He stared at it dully for a moment, the fear wearing off, before freezing again as Tsume let out another low growl. The older wolf shifted slightly, then promptly rolled over right next to Toboe, the tips of his paws scratching against Toboe's back. Tsume's muzzle hit Toboe's soft glossy fur and at the soft touch he began to nuzzle against the back of Toboe's neck.

_Tsume..._

Frozen in shock at such an unexpected action from the normally cold Tsume, the young wolf dared not move an inch. Tsume continued to nuzzle his soft fur, then slid closer until he was pressed fully up against Toboe. Toboe felt a warmth pass over himself and he shivered in pleasure. Fear forgotten, he pressed closer to the sleeping wolf of his own accord, seeking more of his warmth. Tsume let out a soft noise of content, and Toboe felt a strange joy pass through his mind. Smiling to himself, Toboe closed his eyes. This would likely never happened again and Tsume would probably get enraged if he found out. He wondered why Tsume was so cold, yet so warm at the same time. It puzzled him, but he quickly pushed such thoughts from his mind as the warmth stole over his whole body. His eyes slowly closed, lulled by the steady heartbeat of Tsume as he pressed against him. Toboe fell into a peaceful sleep, treasuring this one moment of closeness he was privileged to.

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Update 5-10-04

Finally, after bugging FF.net for ALL THIS TIME, they finally make a Wolf's Rain category. I've been waiting for this since I first put out this story back in May last year. I've only seen the fansubs, and my friends assure me that the dub was properly butchered with terrible voice acting. And before anyone asks, I obtained the fansubs BEFORE Wolf's Rain was licensed, so I can't tell you where to find them now.

I couldn't help but write a little piece about these two. Some of you want me to write a few more chapters, and I may just do that. Lemme know what you think! (that's a not to subtle hint to review. I'm so funny...)


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